watson



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. WATSON. Hydraulic-Press.

Patented: Jan. 2 0, |880. Figi.

Notzzalsg.

INVENTOR ATTEST:

N FETERS. PHOTo-LITHOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON D C.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. WATSON. Hydraulic-Press.

Patented Jan. 20, 1880.

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` i LNVENTORI ATTEST.:

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N.PETE.HS, ll'rc'UTHOGRAPr-len, wAsHlNGTON. D Cy UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

JAMES WATSON, or LONDON, ENGLAND.

HYDRAULIC PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 223,785, dated January20, 1880.

Application filed October 15, ISTQ. Patented in England, June 8, 1878.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES WATSON, of London,England, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvementsin Hydraulic Presses 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and iigures marked thereonthatis to say:

The object of this invention is to obtain an increase in the workingspeed of hydraulic.

presses, and at the same time reduce the number of pumps employedwithout reducing the power of the presses.

The invention has reference more particularly to presses in which thepreliminary pressure upon a bale of cotton or other material is producedby bottom rams, and then, after a grid or blocking apparatus has beeninserted below the bale, the iinal or nishing pressure is given by toprams.

Theimprovements mainly consistin a particular arrangement of an d modeof workin g presses having three bottom rams, the center ram being much`smaller than the two outer rams; also, in a particular Vconstruction ofself-actin g loaded or spring valve, which valve takes off the pressurefrom the small cylinder when such pressure attains a given limit, andthen admits the water to `the large cylinders; also, in a particulararrangement for taking the pressure olf the small center ram when itreaches a given part of its stroke; also, in the combination with oradaptation to such a press of a selfactin g valve to stop the rise ofthe bottom follower at the exact position for the grid or blockingapparatus to enter.

In the particular arrangement and mode of working a press with threebottom rams, as labove mentioneda the small ram, which is of longstroke, does the first portion of the stroke, this ram being effectiveonly7 during such pory tion of the strokeas is safe for such a smallplan of the press. Figs. 4 to 7 are sectional views, on a larger scale,of 'valves employed in connection with the press, and are hereinafterreferred to,

The press has three bottom rams, A A B, of which the center one, B, is,say, a three-inch ram, while the two outer, AA, are, say, seveninchrams. Each of -these seven-inch rams is capable of making a stroke of,say, sixteen feet six inches.

The small ram B has a collar, C, at its lower end, and there is a bushor inner projection, D, at the top (or it may be at any other convenientpart) of the small cylinder B', against which the said collar C comes,as here` inafter explained. rIhe small ram B is not connected to thefollower K, and is therefore not carried up with the follower in thelast portion ofthe stroke of the press-that is to say, of the largerams-and is kept central during the rising of these rams by means of asort of cross-head, P, through which thelarge rams slide after thecenter ram has stopped.

F is a self-acting valve, (shown separately in Fig. 4,) incommunication, by a pipe, 6, with an elevated tank, to allow water toflow into and from the large cylinders A A at the proper times by thepipes l 2. A

Gr is the valve (shown separately in Fig. 5) for admitting the waterfrom the pumps to the small cylinder B by the pipe 5, also to aselfacting or loaded or spring valve, H, by the pipe 4, and also to astop or relief valve, O, by the pipe 3.

The selfacting valve H, which is shown separately in Fig. 6,is loaded tothe maximum pressure which is to be attained on the center ram, B, so asto open at such pressure and relieve t-he center ram, and allow thewater to iiow through such valve into the large cylinders A A 5 and inorder to prevent this valve closing, owing to the decrease in pressurewhich takes place when the water has entered thelarge cylinders, thevalve has a larger area at a part, H', above its seat, for the purposehereinafter explained. y H

I is a valve (shown separately in Fig. 7) for allowing the return-waterVfrom the cylinders to return into the pipe 6, leading to the elevatedtank. 7 is a return-pipe from the stopvalve ().A Q is a tappet-rod,moving with the IOO large rams A A, and which. when these rams reach thetop of their stroke, acts both upon levers M M, which open the lock ofVthe main door of the press by-means of the rod N, and also upon alever, M, which opens the reliefvalve O. It, S, and T are rodsconnected, respectively, with the valves G, H, and l, and fitted withhandles at the top.

Such being the construction and arrangement of the parts of the press, Iproceed to describe its action.

Supposing the follower K to be at the bottom of its stroke, thepress-box filled, and all the valves shut, the ma-n at the top of theIpress opens the inlet-valve G by means of the rod R, so as to admitwater from ,the pumps to the small cylinder B by the pipe 5, and to theunder side of the loaded valve I-I by the pipe 4, and also to thestop-valve O by the pipe 3. The small ram B is thus forced up, togetherwith the follower K, which carries the large rams A A with it. Whilethese rams are i rising their cylinders are being iilled with wa= terfrom the elevated tank, the pressure due to the height of this tankbeing sut'ticient to open the valve F and allow the water to run intothe large cylinders. When the pressure inthe small cylinder B has got upto, say, iifteen hundred-weight to the square inch, (aceordin g to theload on the valve 13,) which will probably be at about thirteen tofourteen feet of the stroke, the pressure raises the loaded valve H,thereby allowing' the water to pass over the valve I, and by the pipe Sto the valve l', which it will shut, and thence, by the pipes l 2, tothe large cylinders,'so as to raise the large rams and complete thestroke. The small rani B, being loose from the follower, does notparticipate in this portion of the stroke, and is retained in itscylinder by means of the collar C on its lower end coming against thebush D in the cylinder B. When the pressure in the small cylinder hasbeen sufficient to lift the valve H, as before described, and water hasbegun to iow through it to the large cylinders, the pressure, owing tothe larger area of the two large rams, will drop from fifteenhundred-weight to, say, two hundreds-weight to the square inch, andtherefore the load on this valve would close it again; but the water, byacting on the larger' area- H', which this valve has at a point aboveits seat, as before explained, overcomes the load on the valve, andtherefore keeps the valve open. The increased pressure upon this valveis borne not entirely by its spring H2, but by a cover, H3, bolted downand regulating the lift of the valve.

As has been already mentioned, when the large rams reach the top oftheir stroke the tappet-rod Q opens the lock of the main door ofthepress by means of the levers M M and rod N, and it also opens the valveO by means of the lever M, so that the water from the pumps passesthrough this valve, and by the pipe 7 to the pipe G, leading to theelevated tank, and thereby stops the follower at the exact position forthe grid to enter it.

When a grid or blocking apparatus is employed, it must now be run in toenable the iinal or iinishing pressure to be given by the top rams, andthe three rams A A B are then lowered. The wheelon the rod S is run downin order to keep the valve H open, and thereby form an outlet for thewater in the center cylinder. To effect the lowering of these rams theinlet-valve G is shut and the outlet-valve lis opened; the water fromthe three cylinders A A B will then be forced back by the weight of therams and follower into the elevated tank through the pipe 6. As soon asthe follower is down the man shuts the valve I and turns thehand-wheelof the loaded valve H, so as to allow this valve to be shut by itsspring H2. The valves are now all shut and the press is ready for thenext operation.

Although I have described the small ram B as being disconnected from thefollower, it may be connected thereto, in which case, when the largerams begin to rise, both the small ram and its cylinder B will risealso, the small ram, of course, being inactive.

The press stop-valve O, before described, is like an ordinary valve, andis loaded sufficiently to prevent its being opened by the pressure ofwater from the pumps.

I am aware that hydraulic presses have been constructed in which tworams of different diameters have been employed, the smaller arrangedunder the larger, and adapted to do the primary or lighter part of thework; but I am not aware of two large rams and one small one having beenemployed, arranged as herein shown, and for the purpose above stated.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a hydraulic press employing three bottom rams, two large and onesmall, the arrangement of the three abreast, as shown, the smallerbetween the two larger, and the former arranged to perform the primaryor lighter part of the work, as shown and specified.

2. A hydraulic press having a ram, B, of small diameter, not connected.with the fol lower K, and provided with means, substantially as shown,whereby it isautomatically relieved from pressure at a predeterminedpoint in its stroke, and two large rams, A A, provided with an automaticvalve, H, whereby they are permitted to be supplied with water from thepumps only when the pressure in the smaller cylinder B has reached apredetermined point, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. y

3. The combination, in a hydraulic press, of the smaller ram B, arrangedto do the primary and lighter portion of the work, and the larger rams AA, the latter arranged to open a relief-valve when they have reached thetermination of their stroke, and thus automatically stop their ascent,substantially as shown, and for the purposes set forth.

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4. The combination of the larger rams A A, the smaller ram B,therelief-valve O, arranged to be opened by the larger rams at thetermination of their stroke, and the loaded valve H, arranged to admitwater from the pumps to the larger rains When the pressure in thesmaller ram reaches a predetermined limit, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the rams A A B, of the relief-valve O,tappetrod Q, and valve lever M', all arranged to operate, in connectionwith the inlet and outlet pipes 3 and 7, substantially as set forth.

6. The valve H, provided with an enlarged area, H', a spring, H2, acover, H3, and a suitable box or casing, substantially as shown in Fig.v6, and as described.

7. The combination, in a hydraulic press,

